Session Buddy Review: v4 Data Loss, Backups and Alternatives
Written by the BelayTab team. We’ve tried to be fair, including where Session Buddy is the better choice.
Session Buddy at a Glance
- Users
- 1,000,000 on the Chrome Web Store
- Latest version
- 4.1.2, updated 28 April 2026
- Price
- Free, no account
- Storage
- Local, in the browser’s IndexedDB. Cloud storage is in development
- Export formats
- More than 15, including text, JSON, CSV, Markdown and HTML
BelayTab vs Session Buddy: Feature Comparison
| Feature | Session Buddy | BelayTab |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic snapshots | Yes, when the browser shuts down and as tabs change | Yes, every 5 minutes and when a window closes |
| Version history of saved sessions | No per-collection versions | Last 20 versions of each session |
| Automatic backup | Local backup, up to 24 hours behind | Rolling JSON export to disk; cloud backup with Sync |
| Deleted items | Not documented | 30-day trash |
| Tab groups | Not in the current release | Yes, names and colours kept |
| Sync | No, in development | Paid Sync, $4/month or $36/year |
| Import | Many formats | OneTab, Session Buddy, Tab Session Manager, Tablerone, URL lists |
| Export | More than 15 formats | JSON, CSV, URL list, HTML bookmarks |
| Host permissions | None required | None |
| Price | Free | Free; Sync is $4/month |
What Session Buddy Does Well
Session Buddy has been a dependable default for years. Its History feature records a snapshot of open tabs whenever the browser shuts down, normally or not, so a crash doesn’t cost you the session. Its import and export options are among the widest in the category.
It is free, needs no account, and keeps everything on your computer.
- Automatic history of open tabs, including at shutdown
- Collections for tabs you choose to keep
- Import, export, copy and paste in more than 15 formats
- No host permissions required
What Happened With Session Buddy v4
Version 4, released in March 2024, moved storage from Web SQL to IndexedDB and renamed saved sessions to Collections. Afterwards, users reported collections, history and settings disappearing, with blank screens and IndexedDB errors.
Session Buddy’s own data-reliability page explains the cause honestly: data an extension stores locally is vulnerable to browser bugs, disk cleaners, crashes, power loss and low disk space. Version 4.1 added automatic local backups, which the page says may lag behind recent changes by up to 24 hours and are still subject to browser control.
Session Buddy says cloud storage and sync are in development. At the time of writing they have not shipped.
Who Should Use Which
Stay with Session Buddy if you want the widest set of export formats and are happy to keep your own backups, for example by exporting regularly or backing up your browser profile.
Choose BelayTab if you want snapshots every 5 minutes rather than at shutdown, the last 20 versions of each saved session, tab groups kept on restore, and optional sync with 90 days of cloud history.
How to Switch From Session Buddy to BelayTab
Back up Session Buddy first
Open Session Buddy and use Backup to save a file of everything. If collections are missing, try Restore from its automatic backup before anything else.
Export your collections
Select the collections you want and export them as JSON, or copy them as a plain list of links.
Import into BelayTab
Open BelayTab, choose Import, pick Session Buddy and select the file. Each collection becomes a session.
Check the counts
Compare session and tab counts in both tools, then keep the Session Buddy backup file somewhere safe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Session Buddy lose my sessions?
Session Buddy stores everything in the browser’s IndexedDB, and its own reliability page lists browser bugs, disk cleaners, crashes, power loss and low disk space as causes of loss. Reports rose after v4 changed the storage engine. Check its Restore dialog for an automatic backup.
Does Session Buddy sync across devices?
No. Session Buddy stores data locally only, and says cloud storage and sync are in development. To move data between computers you export a file and import it on the other machine.
Is Session Buddy safe to use?
Yes, from a privacy point of view: it keeps your data on your computer and needs no host permissions. The risk is local data loss, so turn on its backups and export regularly.
Where are Session Buddy’s previous sessions in v4?
They moved to History. In v4 the current session is called This Browser, saved sessions are Collections, and previous sessions are browsed and restored from History.
Can I import Session Buddy into BelayTab?
Yes. Export from Session Buddy as JSON and import the file in BelayTab. Each collection becomes a session.
Sources
Facts about Session Buddy were checked against these public sources in September 2026. Products change; if something here is out of date, tell us at [email protected].
More Comparisons
- CompareOneTab Review: What It Does Well and When to SwitchAn honest OneTab review: what it does well, how its storage and Backup & Sync work, where tabs get lost, and how to move your list to BelayTab.
- CompareWorkona Review: Workspaces vs Sessions, and Which You NeedWorkona organises work into cloud-synced spaces; BelayTab saves and protects tab sessions. An honest look at when each one is the better choice.
- CompareTab Session Manager Review: Open Source, Autosave and Drive SyncTab Session Manager is free, open source, autosaves and syncs via Google Drive. Where it shines, where it falls short, and how BelayTab compares.
- ToolsOneTab Export ConverterTurn a OneTab export into JSON, CSV, Markdown or HTML bookmarks.